Study of Life - Honors Biology (Living Environment)

biosphere

the living portion of the earth

ecosystem

all the living and nonliving things in an area

community

all the living things in an area

population

all the organisms of a certain species in an area

organism

a singular living thing

organ system

a group of organs working together to perform a function

organ

a group of tissues working together to perform a specific function

tissue

a group of cells of the same type working together to perform a function

cell

the basic unit of life - trillions in your body

organelle

parts of cells

molecule

two or more atoms

atom

the building blocks of matter

DNA

the genetic instructions for our bodies - directs protein synthesis

ribosome

organelle that conducts protein synthesis

development

changes in an organism

homeostasis

the idea of maintaining an stable internal environment

metabolism

all the life processes in a living organism

life processes

eight functions all living things must perform

nutrition

life process in which organisms eat/obtain food for energy

autotrophic nutrition

when organisms make their own food

photosynthesis

the process in which plants, algae, and cyanobacteria make their own food

heterotrophic nutrition

when organisms eat other organisms for food

transport

circulation of materials in an organism

intercellular transport

transport between cells

intracellular transport

transport inside cells

respiration

release of energy from food

aerobic respiration

respiration that uses oxygen

anaerobic respiration

respiration that uses lactic acid fermentation - does not use oxygen

excretion

the removal of waste from an organism

growth

increase in size in an organism

synthesis

building of bigger molecules from smaller molecules

reproduction

the making of offspring - allows a species to live throughout generations

sexual reproduction

reproduction that requires two parents - genetic variation, but less efficient

asexual reproduction

reproduction that requires one parent - no genetic variation, but more efficient

regulation

coordination of all the life processes in an organism

stimulus

changes in an organism’s environment

response

how an organism responds to a stimulus

ecology

the study of interactions among organisms

biotic factors

living factors in an environment

abiotic factors

non-living factors in an environment

limiting factors

both biotic and abiotic can act as this - limits population growth

carrying capacity

the amount of organisms an ecosystem can uphold - can be affected by lack of resources and other limiting factors

producers

organisms that make their own food

consumers

organisms that eat other organisms for food

scavengers

organisms that eat already-dead organisms

decomposers

organisms that recycle nutrients back to the bottom of the food chain

herbivore

eats only producers

carnivore

eats only consumers

omnivore

eats both plants AND animals

primary consumers

herbivores - eats producers

secondary consumers

eats primary consumers

tertiary consumers

eats secondary consumers

quaternary consumers

eats tertiary consumers

apex predator

top of the food web/chain, usually a tertiary or quaternary consumer

food chain

linear sequence showing what eats what; “eaten” - “eater”

food web

chart showing the flow of energy through an ecosystem; many organisms involved; multiple food chains

trophic levels

feeding levels in an ecosystem (primary consumer, secondary consumer, etc)

energy pyramid

10% rule

throughout a food chain, only 10% of the “eaten” organisms energy is passed onto the “eater”

symbiotic relationships

relationships between organisms where at least one organism benefits

mutualism

a symbiotic relationship where both organisms benefit

commensalism

a symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits and the other organism is unaffected

parasitism

a symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits and the other organism is harmed

parasite

“feeds off” the host - harms host

host

the organism that a parasite lives off of

predation/predator-prey

an interaction between two organisms in which one eats the other to “keep the population in check”

competition

an interaction in which organisms compete for resources

interspecific competition

competition between two organisms of different species

intraspecific competition

competition between two organisms of the same species

habitat

the place in which an organism lives

niche

role an organism plays in an ecosystem

niche partitioning

when species avoid competition by splitting up the resources

spatial partitioning

when two organisms split up resources by taking different areas in the ecosystem

temporal partitioning

when two organisms split up resources by being active at different times (diurnal vs. nocturnal)

resource partitioning

when two organisms split up resources by using different food sources or habitats

predator

eats another living organism - “eater”

prey

eaten by another living organism - “eaten”